


Felis Silvestris Catus

by dateable_yosuke



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2013-09-09
Packaged: 2017-12-26 02:52:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/960721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dateable_yosuke/pseuds/dateable_yosuke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yosuke was pretty used to the people and things that attached themselves to Souji. He wasn't used to the strangely familiar cats that invited themselves into Souji's room.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Felis Silvestris Catus

**Author's Note:**

> now for something completely different than what i usually write

Yosuke was used to Souji being liked by everyone and every _thing_ he came across, whether it was the shopkeepers or strangers walking around the shopping district or even the strange fox who lived at the shrine. One day during lunch, Souji told him that he was pretty sure the fox was female, and he choked on his food.

He was used to the weird things Souji did sometimes and the weird things he liked.

What he _wasn't_ used to was how Souji would leave his room window open occasionally and let the stray cats that stayed around his house _into_ his room. He didn't mind cats, not as long as they weren't feral, but it was amazing how Souji _loved_ them. He didn't mind dirty outside cats perched up high on his shelf next to his figures or on his lap as he studied.

Which was happening right now, with Yosuke sitting directly across from him.

Yosuke had asked if he could go over for a study session of some subject, he couldn't remember right now, and when he arrived he was surprised to find only one cat in his friend's room that day. They sat down and set out their books and materials like normal and started going over the material, when the cat climbed onto Souji’s lap and curled up. Souji’s hand went to start petting it automatically.

Now, he’d been over to Souji’s house often enough to know all the cats that hovered around outside, and he didn’t recognize this specific cat.

He propped his chin up on his hand, “Got a new one, huh?” Yosuke asked, twirling his pencil.

“Huh?” Souji looked up from his notes and Yosuke gestured to his lap. “Oh, yeah,” he scratched underneath the cat’s head, and it lifted its head straight up to let him. The purring got louder. “I think he was recently abandoned. He still has a collar indentation in his fur,” his scratching moved to behind its ear.

Yosuke studied the brown and tan lines across its head and body, “I don’t think I’ve seen him wandering around town before. I wonder where he’s been this entire time?”

Souji grew worried, his hands pausing, “I don’t know.” His brows furrowed, “I don’t like it when people just abandon their pets in the streets. One thing I don’t understand is how someone can just leave something so loving all alone to fend for itself.”

Something clicked with Yosuke just then, a realization about his partner that would have been picked up earlier by someone other than him. He sighed and was just about to speak when the cat in Souji’s lap meowed up at him. Souji forgot to keep petting.

He laughed and resumed petting, “Sorry, sorry.” There was a pause while Souji let the cat settle back into his lap. He glanced up at Yosuke, who was staring at him, “You know, this is the only cat I’ve had that liked being with me this much.”

Yosuke looked down towards his notes, but his eyes were on Souji, “Really? I thought they all loved you?”

The corner of Souji’s mouth turned up into a self-deprecating smile, “I think they all just like me because I give them food.” He leaned back onto the couch behind him and squinted out his open window, still petting the cat in his lap, “They all come in because they expect food, I think. They never really stay that long and most of them never come inside more than once.” He looked back down at the cat, “This guy, though, ever since he figured out he could come inside, stayed on me or near me all the time.”

Yosuke never had any pets, so he didn’t understand what the feeling is like, but he can sort of understand the feelings the cat might have. “To be honest, I don’t get why they wouldn’t like you. You’re a pretty likable guy.” Souji looked back up at him and he hesitated, “Uh, well, I think he just likes your brand of affection. Those cats who don’t come back don’t know what they’re missing out on.”

Souji stared at him and he fidgeted and _um yeah_ ed at least three times before Souji chuckled and shook his head, “I knew it.” At Yosuke’s confused and slightly embarrassed look, he elaborated, “I knew this cat reminded me of someone. He reminds me of you.”

He blushed, “What—”

“Anyway,” Souji cut in, as he usually does, “You reminded me that there’s another cat that keeps coming back. I think it truly hates me, though.”

Drop it Yosuke, just drop it. You’re nothing like a cat. “U-Uh, oh yeah? Why is that?” He pretended to write something in his notebook. Turns out they were studying math.

“He’s this big, grey long-haired one. He usually stays curled up on my folded futon and away from me and this cat until I have to get them out for the night,” he explains, still absently petting the animal in his lap. “He hasn’t been around for awhile though…”

Yosuke glanced up to see Souji’s slight frown, “Don’t worry. If he’s been around, he’ll come back.” He shrugged, “If not, you still have him, right?”

Souji smiled, “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

“Cool.”

They let talk of the cat drop for the rest of the day and into the night and continued their studies. The cat snoozed quietly in Souji’s lap the entire time until Yosuke had to leave.

The next day, however, Cat Talk forcefully pulled attention to itself again. Like most cats do.

Yosuke needed more help with his studies and invited himself over to Souji’s house once again. There, in the corner on the folded pile of futon, was a big grey fluff ball of cat.

“Oh,” Yosuke said, like he got the air knocked out of him, “That’s him, huh?”

“Yeah,” Souji replied, going to his window to pull the curtains back and open it fully. Almost immediately that same cat jumped onto the windowsill. “Hey there, Hanamura,” he smiled.

Yosuke sighed, a little touched but mostly embarrassed, “I still can’t believe you named him after me. That’s creepy, dude.”

Souji sat in his usual spot between the small table in his room and the couch, “Nah, you love it.”

“Shut up. No, I don’t,” Yosuke turned away from Souji’s stupid knowing smile and towards the other cat. “So this guy is the one that comes in here and ignores you, huh? Cats are so rude.”

“It’s all right. At least he’s in the space with me,” Souji laughed, “He leaves when he needs to, so it’s okay.”

“If you say so,” Yosuke trailed off so he could sit across from him at the table. He started taking out the needed things from his bag when out of the corner of his eye he sees movement. When he looks, he sees The Grey Cat, which he named himself just now, had rolled over and fixed itself in a position where it could stare daggers at Yosuke. “Uh.”

Souji looked up from Hanamura in his lap, “Hm? Oh. Well, that’s a first.”

Yosuke had frozen in place when he noticed the cat’s gaze, “D-Dude, that’s not helping! You’re making me feel like it’s going to leap at me and claw my face off or something!”

“It’s not going to do that,” Souji said, but it lacked confidence and Yosuke grew more and more tense.

They sat in silence, both staring at the cat who stared at just Yosuke. Souji was still absently petting an oblivious Hanamura. Before they could do anything, the cat hopped off the futon and Yosuke jumped so hard it was a miracle that he didn’t spontaneously combust.

The Grey Cat strolled towards Yosuke, who stayed frozen as the cat sniffed at fingers still wrapped around the outside of the messenger bag. It sniffed at every single one before pulling away and leveling Yosuke a stare. Souji’s eyes slid back and forth between them. They didn’t move.

Suddenly, The Grey Cat rubbed the side of its face along his fingers. “Um,” Yosuke said, as eloquent as ever.

Souji sighed, slouching over a bit in relief, “He likes you. He wants you to pet him.”

“Oh, uh,” Yosuke tentatively raised his hand and when he saw that the cat was watching him expectantly, he very gently smoothed his hand down the cat’s back and pulled his hand away. The cat didn’t attack him and even seemed like it wanted more, so he did it again. And again and again. The cat began purring and Yosuke smiled, “He likes it!”

“Yeah. He does. Ah—” Hanamura finally spotted the other cat and jumped off Souji’s lap in order to investigate. Both boys went on edge when the two cats faced each other and did the usual animal smelling ritual. When the animals didn’t fly into a cat fight, they both relaxed, but only slightly. The cats touched noses and seemed genuinely curious about one another.

Yosuke could tell immediately that Hanamura was a very friendly and easygoing cat, as he kept moving towards The Grey Cat as it got more curious. The Grey Cat, however, seemed to like to let things happen. Hanamura backed up for just a second, and The Grey Cat used this moment to climb onto Yosuke’s lap, signaling that he was done with the greetings.

“Um,” Yosuke said once again, as he looked down at the cat. The cat in his lap curled up comfortably and relaxed, paying no mind to what was going on around him. Hanamura stepped closer to Yosuke’s legs and peeked at The Grey Cat then up at Yosuke, who blinked back at him. The striped cat rubbed its face lightly on Yosuke’s knee, then turned around to return to Souji’s lap.

The two boys just stared down at their own laps before Yosuke spoke, “Did I just get accepted into a cat gang or something?”

Souji laughed, covering his mouth, “Yeah, you did. I’ve been a member for years, though, so I’ll show you the ropes.” He raised his head, “Should I call you ‘ _brother_ ’?”

“Please, don’t,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. The cat, now seated comfortably in Yosuke’s crossed legs, raised his head to meet his eyes, giving him an expectant look. “Oh, right, petting,” he said and smoothed his hand down the side of The Grey Cat, his fingers nearly disappearing into the cat’s long fur.

Yosuke kept at it, petting the cat’s sides, his head and back and even risked scratching underneath its chin. Soon, it started up a quiet purr, and Yosuke smiled. Souji smiled at his expression and resumed petting the cat in his lap and within a few minutes, a chorus of purrs was filling the quiet room.

“You know,” Yosuke started, still staring down at the cat in his lap with a gentle smile, his fingers rubbing behind its ears, “This cat… reminds me of _you_.”

He paused, “Wha?”

“Yeah, like, it acts like it doesn’t want attention, but once it gets it from someone, it cherishes it,” he glanced up at him, “I can’t really be sure about that, though, but I also think that it’s got a weird personality, too.” He grinned.

Souji pouted, his eyebrows creasing his forehead, “What is _that_ supposed to—”

“But,” Yosuke continued, looking back down at the cat, “I wish I could take him home with me. Parents’ll throw a fit if I want to keep something else in the house. I mean, we've already got some human-shaped bear, you know?” He chanced a look at Souji, whose expression seemed to be closing down as he spoke—“But you can keep him around here for me, right? I don’t want to abandon something that loves me this much.”

Souji stared at him, silent, and Yosuke felt stupid for talking so much.

After a bit, Souji looked away and half-covered his face, though some of his blush still peeked through, “How can you say embarrassing things so easily?” he mumbled.

“Huh? Partner, you’re gonna have to speak up if you want me to hear you,” Yosuke said, tilting his head. Even Hanamura’s ear piqued and struggled to hear because of how quiet it was.

He coughed and waved it away, hoping to change the subject, “Of course I’ll keep him around here.” He smiled widely, “I do love cats, after all.”

Yosuke eyed him, then leaned forward and grinned, “But you love the one in your lap the most, right?”

Souji didn’t meet his eyes, instead deciding to look down at their notes in front of them, “We’ve been talking about the cats too much. We should get back to studying.”

They both let the subject drop. Yosuke was grateful, he’d be embarrassed if Souji answered that question. He was pretty sure of the answer, anyway. He smiled and grabbed his pencil to get back to work.

An hour or two later, Yosuke closed his notebook. “I’m naming this cat Seta, by the way,” he said, scratching at its ear.

Souji picked up his notebook and slapped it over his face to hide his expression. Yosuke laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> weird and ??? but i love cats so cats. ok. yeah. i'm sorry for the title.


End file.
